Marilyn Singer’s nineteen original poems offer perspectives on the natural world that range from lyrical and delicate to boldy unsettling. These poems brim with acute turns of phrase. “The same night the window cracked / the rain turned hard-hearted / the ground turned mean” begins the poem titled “Ice.” In “Back to Nature,” Singer writes, “We cover the earth / with asphalt / tarmac / concrete / brick / We want to be far away / from humus / moss and leaf mold / from things soft and unpredictable / that slide beneath our feet.” And yet, she concludes, even in the city, there is nature, “turning the pavement soft and unpredicatable / making it slide beneath our feet.” Almost all of the highly accessible poems have a first-person voice in the singular or plural that firmly grounds readers/listeners in the moment and mood. And each of the poems is accompanied by a graceful black-and-white ink drawing by Meilo So. (Ages 10-14)

This provocative collection of poems ranges from such lofty subjects as an astronaut’s view of Earth to the burrows of worms and little creatures within the earth, “where I try to tread softly: a quiet giant leaving only footprints on the roof.” Marilyn Singer’s lilting free verse offers visual images that give us fresh new insights and respect for the mighty power of volcanoes, fens, islands, deserts, dunes, and natural disasters. Singer’s easily accessible poems also include some of the lighter moments of childhood, such as sliding on ice and playing in mud. Meilo So’s distinctive india ink drawings on rice paper provide an especially handsome showcase for these buoyant nature poems.


From the Hardcover edition.